Random Thoughts

I received a postcard the other day with a question written on the back of it, and it made me stop and think.

Is love a decision or a feeling?

How interesting. I've always assumed that love was a feeling, but now that I think about it, isn't it a decision? Or maybe it's a combination of the two? And what kind of love are we talking about? A romantic kind of love or a love you have for your family and friends?

Each of those factors conclude to different reasons for me.

I think you automatically love your family. No matter how crazy they are, how much you say you hate them or how much they ruined your life. I can't ever imagine not loving them, and I don't think it's by choice. I just feel connected to them. Is love in this case a feeling?

I choose which friends I have in my life. The friends in my life are my friends because I want them to be. I love them, and it's because I choose to love them. Then is this a decision?

Romantic love is where it gets a little more complicated. When you first meet someone amazing, you are wearing rose colored glasses. Everything is amazing, and your heart is telling you that you are happy. As the relationship progress you feel like you are in love, and that nothing can come between your relationship. When the romantic stage starts to wear out, and you are no longer seeing your relationship with rose colored glasses, are you then deciding to stay with the person? Do you then decide that you are going to love this person, and stick to him/her? Or are you suppose to always feel like you are in love, and can not live without them? Does this therefore explain why people stay in abusive relationship or relationships that aren't good for them? Or what about those people that break up because they no longer feel the love anymore?

Maybe different people feel different kinds of love? Maybe some people decide to stay in a relationship, and maybe others are run by their emotions?

I definitely don't know the answer to this one (I don't believe I was ever in love. Maybe I thought I was, but looking back at it now, I know I wasn't.), but I thought it was an interesting thought.

Either way, I like the idea of love. We should all love the people in our lives. :)